Fiji: New skills gained through emotional recovery
At Makogai District School, in Makogai in the Eastern Division of Fiji, Roseta Tuvalevu, 13 years old, is signing the words daughter, love and other Fijian Sign Language words she learned from her teacher and the UNICEF Teacher’s guide, Sharing Stories & Feelings.
The guide is also part of the series that was developed with funding assistance from the Australian Government and UINCEF to address the emotional recovery needs of children following Cyclone Winston.
The guide was created by the Ministries of Education, Health, Social Welfare and Information, together with participants from a range of NGOs and some of the most creative talents in Fiji, to help children understand their fears and emotions.
Roseta lives in Makogai, a remote island in the Eastern division. There is only one village, Nasau and only one school on her island. She says, “I really like Sign Language. It’s fun to learn, it was something very new for all of us and I like to use it with my friends.”
Roseta also enjoyed the storybook I Can Be Your Mummy Too, particularly the way the mother dog treats the kitten. The book, from the Fiji Storybook set, was also part of the series developed by the Ministries and UNICEF.
Rosetta will be going to boarding school in Ovalau next year, a bigger island one hour boat ride away, she feels a bit anxious but also very excited about it.
Makogai School’s head teacher, Sakaraia Baleibua, has been using the emotional support materials and also enjoyed the Sign Language classes with his students. “It was the children’s favourite activity this year, after Cyclone Winston.” He used the ‘Glossary of Key Sign Language Words’ in the Teacher’s guide Sharing Stories & Feelings. The glossary can be used in primary classes; it is a playful way to introduce Sign Language to children and an excellent deaf awareness activity.
With funding assistance from the Australian Government, UNICEF facilitated a pioneering workshop with the Ministries of Education, Health, Social Welfare and Information, together with participants from a range of NGO’s and some of the most creative talents in Fiji, to develop the first resources for children and caregivers to meet the emotional needs of children after Cyclone Winston.
The 6 day workshop conducted in April 2016 produced “international standard” communication materials for preschool and early primary school aged children and families.
UNICEF Pacific promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do — maternal and child health, nutrition, HIV and AIDS, child protection, education, water, sanitation and hygiene as well as policy, advocacy, communication for development, planning and evaluation. Our multi-country programme and office located in Fiji covers the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
